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Aaron London stands for a portrait at the Edible Schoolyard on the Martin Luther King Middle School campus. Photo: The Chronicle

If you popped into the bar at Locanda recently, you may have seen a Michelin-starred chef — behind the bar.

Aaron London — who notched a star at Ubuntu last year, as well as Chronicle Rising Star status and a James Beard nomination — has been pulling shifts at the Mission hotspot lately. He says it’s part of his goal to work every station in a restaurant, including front and back of house.

Turns out London’s plans in San Francisco are more extensive than that though. He has left Ubuntu.

He says that he’s been wanting to come to the city for a while, and with four years under his belt at Ubuntu and the restaurant’s current hiatus, it seemed like the perfect moment. He’s found an undisclosed small space in the city for his restaurant, but the deal’s not done. If it happens, it’ll require a build-out, so he’s keeping it under wraps for now. He says he left Ubuntu on very good terms, and in the future, hopes to get his produce from the Ubuntu garden, which is now big enough to support two restaurants.

In the meantime, London says he’s enjoying getting some double-takes from his cook friends at the bar, and is learning a lot about cocktails, amaros and such.

Up at Ubuntu, owner Sandy Lawrence is staying mum on her future plans and Ubuntu’s reopening, but says to expect news soon.

· Previously: Ubuntu is closing for the winter to take a “sabbatical” [Inside Scoop]
· Previously: Ubuntu may be on sabbatical, but it’s hosting a weekly farmer’s market [Inside Scoop]